WND EXCLUSIVE

University sponsors ad campaign dissing whites

'UnFair' video blasts 'privilege' and seeks 'equity'

Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially.

In a move that follows University of Delaware teaching that “all whites are racist” and a multi-college conference that critics blasted as “a weekend of indoctrination on white’s crimes,” a university in Minnesota has launched a race-based advertising campaign that blasts “whites” for being “privileged” in society and calling that unfair.

In a university website statement posted just weeks ago, Black wrote, “The UnFair Campaign strives to raise awareness about white privilege in our community, provide resources for understanding and action, and facilitate dialogue and partnership that result in fundamental, systemic change towards racial justice.”

He continued, “Advancing equity, diversity, and social justice requires persistence and long-term difficult work at all levels of our campus community. Remember, ‘Equity and diversity efforts must be led not only by people with formal authority, but also by faculty, staff, students, and administrators at every level of operation and responsibility.’ (Reimagining Equity and Diversity: A Framework for Transforming the University of Minnesota)”

A public service announcement has been prepared that has white people with slogans written on their faces. They make statements including, “We’re privileged and that’s unfair.”

Also, they address being “lucky” to be white. “It’s not luck, it’s privilege,” one states.

Another announces, “Society was set up for us.”

Yet another, “It’s privilege that we don’t get followed by security when we go shopping.”

CampusReform.org reported that it was on the same campus only a few months ago when the school’s director of the office of cultural diversity, Susana Pelayo, suggested that a student handing out copies of the Constitution to honor Constitution Day “looked like” a white supremacist group.

“Instead of promoting cultural diversity, which is part of her job, she chose to show her bias against a group that would promote western culture and tradition,” CampusReform.org commented. “She had no problem with [a] leftist student heckling the conservative, but actually seems to agree that freedom, the Constitution and western civilization is all tied into white supremacy.”

The UnFair campaign website says it was developed “to look at racism and to encourage a community dialogue about the causes and solutions.”

Commenters on the CampusReform site jumped all over the assumption in the campaign that characterizes whites by race.

Wrote a forum participant who identified himself as Datruth. “This is one of the most racist things I have ever seen. The University of Minnesota should be ashamed of itself…”

Added “Jebbys,” “My daughter has been passed over for scholarships that went to others with less achievement, solely because their ancestors were born in Africa and ours weren’t and the university felt obligated to do some social justice. … The door swings both ways.”

Said, “Getreal,” This is so wrong from many aspects, but not the least is the fact that the ‘real world’ is not like college. … when you look for a job, employers will be turned off more by your Women’s Studies degree than by your skin color. They’ll be more impressed by you saying ‘Yes, Sir’ and “Thank you’ than they will be by an attitude of privilege.”

Another, also anonymous, suggested a notice for white students to wear: “I am unfair because I am white, I was allowed to attend this university without affirmative action.”

Another agreed with the campaign, but perhaps there was a little sarcasm involved?

“It is obvious the people who created it only hold their jobs because of the color of their skin. It is obvious they lack any skills or intelligence that would qualify them for the jobs the hold. I also think LeBron James is on the Miami Heat team because of the color of his skin. … These people behind this campaign should surrender their jobs to people of color or they are just plain hypocrites.”

See the video by the “Un-Fair” campaign”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do_w2V0-3D0

Explained CampusReform.org, “The UnFair campaign also held a series of lectures and events on campus last semester. One included a presentation by Tim Wise, author of ‘Dear White America.’ In his book, Wise confesses a ‘longstanding fantasy’ where he turns to a man with a ‘God Bless the USA’ button and asks him, ‘Why can’t you just get over it?'”

WND previously reported on a “White Privilege Conference” that was held in Minneapolis. An organization called the Minnesota Justice Collaborative was host and partner sponsors included Hamline University, Augsburg College, Gustavus Adolphus, The Denver Foundation, University of St. Thomas, the National Center for Race Amity and others.

Its website explained that its premise is that the U.S. was started by white people, for white people – and it examines “concepts of privilege and oppression and offers solutions and team building strategies to work toward a more equitable world.”

“I think that it is safe to say that all white people benefit some from racism, all men benefit some from sexism, but only those at the top of the pyramid truly gain from this system and enjoy privileges that most of us can only imagine,” he wrote.

He said that, “Christianity has also played a key role in developing and justifying systems of oppression such as racism, sexism, colonialism and genocide. … Racism also had its beginning in Christianity as the distinction between Christians and non-Christians took on a biological difference during the Inquisitions, when it was decided that Jews and Muslims who converted were false converts because they did not have clean blood… This was the beginning of modern or biological racism.”

She noted the conference website warned, “There’s always the possibility that the ‘haters’ …. Will descend in mass and try to disrupt peaceful discussions about the advantages of being white in America and the oppression that has led to.”

“Not a chance,” said Kersten. “We’re laughing too hard.”

It was Kersten who pointed how that Lakeville, Minn., schools sent a delegation to the events, paying $160 per person, plus $125 a day for substitutes. That came even as the school board was announcing $7 million in budget cuts with 94 teachers losing their jobs.

“There was wailing and gnashing of teeth, but the board set its jaw: There’s not a dime for anything extra,” Kersten wrote. “Unless you’ve got an ax to grind with white folks. Then the money spigots open.”

“Alright you evil, rotten, racist, white oppressors, it’s time once again for the ‘White Privilege Conference,’ this year to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota… Come on out you white teachers so we can get your rotten minds right about how racist you are and so that you can go back to your students and let them know how racist they are,” he wrote.

“We are all the same, you see, Indians, Hispanics, Blacks, all at harmony and all equal … well, unless you are a whitey, of course. If you are a whitey, well you have some splanin’ to do! … It’s about time you admitted your malevolence, dang it!”

The “cure” offered by the conference is “a weekend of indoctrination on white’s crimes all for the ultimate education of our children back home in our schools. You see, the kids are all right … as long as they ain’t white,” he wrote.

Even earlier, it was a lawyer for the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus who confirmed to an educational rights organization that a plan described by a critic as teaching America as a “hellhole” came about because of brainstorming efforts by the education department.

The group questioned President Robert Bruinicks about the legality of the program. The proposal included the suggestion of examinations of teacher candidates on “white privilege” as well as “remedial re-education” for those who hold the “wrong” views.

The FIRE later announced that in response to its pressure on the university, officials there were backing away from their plans “to enforce a political litmus test.”

“The plans from its College of Education and Human Development involved redesigning admissions and the curriculum to enforce an ideology centered on a narrow view of ‘cultural competence,” the FIRE announced.

“Those with the ‘wrong’ views were to receive remedial re-education, be weeded out, or be denied admission altogether,” the group said.

As WND reported, the Delaware university’s office of residential life was caught requiring students to participate in a program that taught “all whites are racist.”

School officials immediately defended the teaching, but in the face of a backlash from alumni and publicity about its work, the school decided to drop the curriculum, although some factions later suggested its revival.